Table 1. Historical Highlights: 2012 and Earlier Census Years 
[For meaning of abbreviations and symbols, see introductory text.] 
All farms 
2012 
2007 
2002 
1997 
Not adjusted for coverage 
1997 
1992 
1987 
1982 
Farms 
... number 
20,005 
15,637 
7,294 
8,507 
6,135 
6,773 
7,669 
7,334 
Land in farms 
acres 
26,249,195 
26,117,899 
26,586,577 
27,169,627 
26,866,722 
35,037,618 
36,287,794 
37,752,534 
Average size of farm 
acres 
1,312 
1,670 
3,645 
3,194 
4,379 
5,173 
4,732 
5,148 
Estimated market value of 
land and buildings ^ 
Average per farm 
dollars 
844,065 
1,249,929 
1,456,759 
1 ,293,804 
1,689,258 
1,621,530 
1,317,765 
1,496,334 
Average per acre 
dollars 
643 
748 
398 
407 
388 
316 
279 
289 
Estimated market value of all 
machinery and equipment ' 
....$1,000 
1,254,469 
1,036,453 
615,767 
502,281 
434,252 
402,290 
425,285 
407,289 
Average per farm 
dollars 
63,624 
66,291 
88,651 
59,057 
70,817 
59,607 
55,702 
56,069 
Farms by size: 
1 to 9 acres 
11,911 
9,873 
2,331 
2,484 
1,444 
1,678 
2,158 
1,966 
1 0 to 49 acres 
4,082 
2,657 
1,900 
1,885 
1,303 
1,418 
1,510 
1,609 
50 to 1 79 acres 
1,517 
1,221 
1,114 
1,356 
1,008 
1,048 
1,133 
1,051 
1 80 to 499 acres 
882 
626 
664 
912 
717 
741 
910 
839 
500 to 999 acres 
513 
436 
447 
703 
581 
613 
678 
600 
1 ,000 to 1 ,999 acres 
429 
309 
337 
478 
413 
428 
436 
446 
2,000 acres or more 
671 
515 
501 
689 
669 
847 
844 
823 
Total cropland 
farms 
8,144 
7,475 
4,440 
4,510 
3,711 
4,356 
4,840 
4,948 
acres 
1,150,811 
1,205,425 
1,261,894 
1,354,820 
1,277,169 
1,344,091 
1,453,852 
1,480,103 
Flarvested cropland 
farms 
5,587 
4,993 
3,139 
3,302 
2,765 
3,323 
3,646 
3,838 
acres 
890,130 
832,406 
887,966 
1,026,359 
969,602 
911,355 
865,817 
1,047,213 
Irrigated land 
farms 
5,839 
5,094 
4,172 
4,233 
3,426 
3,965 
4,241 
4,437 
acres 
880,613 
876,158 
931 ,735 
1,075,336 
1,013,902 
956,454 
913,841 
1,097,825 
Market value of agricultural 
products sold (see text) 
....$1,000 
3,732,113 
3,234,552 
2,395,447 
1,970,801 
1,903,408 
1,515,384 
1,628,544 
1,526,915 
Average per farm 
dollars 
186,559 
206,852 
328,413 
231,668 
310,254 
223,739 
212,354 
208,197 
Crops, including nursery 
and greenhouse crops 
....$1,000 
2,076,568 
1,913,014 
1 ,587,775 
1,275,987 
1,222,891 
899,242 
896,681 
806,847 
Livestock, poultry, and 
their products 
....$1,000 
1,655,545 
1,321,538 
807,672 
694,814 
680,517 
616,141 
731,863 
720,068 
Farms by value of sales 
Less than $2,500 
12,616 
9,632 
3,445 
3,467 
1,918 
2,241 
2,494 
2,506 
$2,500 to $4,999 
1,820 
1,721 
647 
862 
655 
695 
820 
858 
$5,000 to $9,999 
1,501 
1,377 
598 
817 
620 
648 
775 
752 
$10,000 to $24,999 
1,503 
1,063 
675 
963 
765 
779 
757 
723 
$25,000 to $49,999 
672 
433 
430 
571 
496 
485 
583 
463 
$50,000 to $99,999 
442 
358 
307 
390 
333 
462 
533 
451 
$100,000 to $499,999 
818 
502 
552 
750 
698 
907 
1,152 
972 
$500,000 or more 
633 
551 
640 
687 
650 
556 
555 
529 
Farms by legal status for tax 
purposes (see text): 
Family or individual 
17,247 
13,721 
5,695 
6,126 
4,178 
4,779 
5,356 
5,438 
Partnership 
1,345 
962 
841 
1,256 
1,033 
1,091 
1,369 
1,019 
Corporation 
1,045 
729 
593 
812 
679 
631 
724 
674 
Other-cooperative, estate 
or trust, institutional, etc 
368 
225 
165 
313 
245 
272 
220 
203 
Principal operator by days of work 
off farm 
None 
9,186 
6,646 
3,579 
3,245 
2,495 
2,732 
2,830 
2,569 
Any 
10,819 
8,991 
3,715 
4,727 
3,223 
3,583 
4,423 
4,244 
200 days or more 
6,299 
4,910 
2,579 
3,159 
2,068 
2,382 
2,997 
2,947 
Principal operator by primary occupation: 
Farming 
13,219 
9,553 
4,296 
4,103 
3,250 
3,613 
3,782 
3,501 
Other 
6,786 
6,084 
2,998 
4,404 
2,885 
3,160 
3,887 
3,833 
Average age of principal operator 
years 
61.1 
58.5 
54.9 
55.1 
55.6 
54.3 
51.5 
50.5 
Total farm production 
expenses ' 
....$1,000 
3,258,922 
2,782,786 
1,825,328 
1,538,293 
1,479,713 
1 ,239,020 
1,301,666 
(NA) 
Selected farm production 
expenses ^ 
Livestock and poultry purchased 
or leased 
....$1,000 
166,502 
315,343 
171,369 
153,174 
149,969 
161,937 
244,484 
250,356 
Feed purchased 
....$1,000 
795,229 
617,035 
307,212 
267,323 
263,765 
195,198 
208,527 
237,766 
Fertilizer, lime, and soil 
conditioners purchased ® 
....$1,000 
221,706 
165,318 
81,131 
79,304 
76,286 
57,842 
51,672 
60,308 
Gasoline, fuels, and oils purchased 
....$1,000 
189,338 
146,118 
67,183 
56,876 
53,250 
46,774 
44,554 
62,705 
Flired farm labor 
....$1,000 
459,771 
380,491 
343,422 
264,525 
255,124 
190,442 
207,689 
156,401 
Interest expense ® 
....$1,000 
78,184 
65,119 
58,562 
67,436 
63,768 
51,921 
74,553 
100,153 
Chemicals purchased 
....$1,000 
133,675 
133,265 
70,845 
71,492 
69,184 
73,166 
60,366 
60,000 
Livestock and poultry: 
Cattle and calves 
inventory 
farms 
6,029 
7,716 
2,838 
3,721 
2,881 
3,064 
3,521 
3,792 
number 
91 1 ,334 
1,000,038 
841 ,277 
866,786 
822,273 
928,783 
1,110,912 
1,139,377 
Beef cows 
farms 
4,851 
5,246 
2,090 
2,728 
2,164 
2,288 
2,497 
2,523 
number 
197,901 
197,060 
170,865 
289,208 
263,878 
292,848 
334,851 
313,040 
Milk cows 
farms 
239 
182 
274 
299 
247 
305 
476 
730 
number 
193,621 
183,744 
154,764 
123,595 
123,371 
88,582 
86,280 
81,811 
Cattle and calves sold 
farms 
3,364 
4,078 
2,030 
3,252 
2,639 
2,777 
3,302 
3,346 
number 
676,935 
672,947 
673,305 
712,930 
688,560 
744,147 
1 ,009,492 
1,020,088 
Flogs and pigs inventory 
farms 
509 
378 
208 
376 
206 
281 
331 
543 
number 
(D) 
(D) 
(D) 
143,287 
141,112 
83,262 
135,414 
160,816 
Flogs and pigs sold 
farms 
354 
284 
168 
214 
125 
181 
242 
379 
number 
(D) 
(D) 
(D) 
203,839 
200,790 
150,140 
237,623 
261,054 
See footnote(s) at end of table. -continued 
2012 Census of Agriculture - State Data 
USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service 
Arizona 7 
